Pearl Abyss Gives Every Employee a $3,400 Bonus After Crimson Desert Hits 5 Million Sales
- Sagar Mankar
- Apr 28
- 3 min read
Pearl Abyss has rewarded its entire workforce with a special bonus following Crimson Desert's milestone of 5 million copies sold globally.
The South Korean developer behind the long-awaited open-world action RPG handed each of its 733 employees a bonus of 5 million won, which works out to roughly $3,400 per person.
According to Korean news outlet MTN, the payments were made on April 23, bringing the total payout to approximately 3.7 billion won, or around $2.5 million across the studio.
Crimson Desert had quite the journey before reaching this point. The game was announced seven years ago and, when it finally launched, received a mixed initial reception. However, Pearl Abyss moved quickly to address player concerns, rolling out substantial updates that tackled issues with the control scheme and the original lack of gear storage.
That responsiveness paid off. The game now holds a "Very Positive" rating on Steam, with 86% of over 51,000 user reviews giving it a thumbs up. It also peaked at 276,261 concurrent players on PC alone, which is a seriously impressive number for a new IP.
Pearl Abyss CEO Heo Jin-young addressed his team internally after the milestone was reached. "I express my deep respect and gratitude for the hard work of each and every one of you who created a product that the world is enthusiastic about, and I am paying a celebratory bonus for achieving 5 million sales to all employees who have silently fulfilled their roles in their respective positions," he said, as per the reports by MTN.
"Our journey does not end here. The potential we confirmed today will be the most powerful driving force to overcome any challenge we face in the future."
The good news does not stop there either. According to MTN, another bonus is expected at the start of 2027, tied to the studio's overall financial performance for 2026.
The success of Crimson Desert has also caught the attention of people well beyond the gaming world. South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok praised the title, specifically highlighting the fact that it was built using Pearl Abyss' own in-house technology rather than a Western engine. He also pointed to the game's incorporation of Korean cultural elements, including taekwondo and Korean cuisine, which plays a meaningful role in gameplay, particularly during boss encounters.
The Prime Minister stated that Crimson Desert had opened a "new chapter in K-content" and called its success "a crucial turning point, demonstrating that the domestic game industry can expand and leap forward across diverse platforms, including consoles."
South Korean developers have been making real inroads into the console space in recent years. Shift Up's Stellar Blade and Neowiz's Lies of P are two strong examples.
On the awards front, the game is shaping up to be a genuine Game of the Year contender. It faces stiff competition from other major 2026 releases, but its combination of scale, polish after updates, and strong player reception puts it firmly in the conversation.
Crimson Desert is currently available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Mac, priced at $69.99. It supports Xbox Play Anywhere, allowing cross-save functionality between Xbox consoles and PC under the same Microsoft account.
The game recently received its biggest patch yet, adding difficulty settings, new storage features, and pets, making it a good time for newcomers to jump in.
